Clusterização : uma alternativa de desenvolvimento regional para o Brasil?

Abstract

The intense globalization in recent decades has accelerated the spatial reconfiguration of economic activities, transforming and streamlining certain regions of the planet, while others found themselves doomed to stagnation or decline. Large international companies, in particular, the unregulated financial capital gained autonomy to locate and relocate according to the conditions more or less conducive to generating profits. On the other hand, national and local governments have lost control over their own development. The least developed countries are particularly affected by the uneven pace at which firms enact the inclusion and exclusion of regions to the global economic dynamics. While some areas become platforms operating companies, before inheriting productive activities located in the central countries, others are condemned to economic stagnation. With this, widen social inequalities and regional migration flows are triggered towards the dynamic regions, which exacerbates social conflicts and intensifies the pressures on social policy and planning. Since the 80s, however, a different view of development has resulted in planning initiatives aimed at valuing the potential of the regions. Inspired by the success of regions like Silicon Valley, California, Emilia Romagna, Italy, or dynamic regions of Asia, such policies have two essential characteristics: they are anchored in specific territories, and based on small and medium enterprises, interdependent and interactive. However, not limited to regions characterized by flexible production, high technology and high capacity for innovation. Also in the peripheral regions can be observed successful initiatives to mobilize endogenous dynamism, innovation and improvement in income and living conditions of the population. This is the case in the garment industry Toritama / Santa Cruz do Capibaribe in Agreste of Pernambuco, or the complex of rum in the north of Minas Gerais. In short, this is a new horizon for policy development, in which the goal of economic growth is necessarily associated with civic mobilization, cooperation, appreciation of local and regional identities and the participative inclusion of broad sectors of society. Brazil, marked by deep social and regional inequalities, has in the National Policy for Regional Development - PNDR an alternative development strategy based on the formation and expansion of '"clusters" reflecting on the cases of successful experiences as occurred in the Third Italy, where did the classic model of "Emiliano Development." The objective of this study is whether this new Italian model of development can be replicated in other regions or countries, mainly in Brazil, which presents in its PNDR clear tendency to promote regional development through the implementation and expansion of clusters Brazilians.